A WOMAN assaulted her partner after a row sparked by their shock at her cancer diagnosis.

Police received a 999 call from the mobile phone belonging to Gail Evans on June 4 but the call cut out before she was able to say anything.

After the number was linked to an address in Portsmouth Street on Walney police attended and found Evans and her partner Peter Jesson in the house.

Evans, 49, was in an upstairs bedroom crying while Mr Jesson was downstairs wearing a ripped t-shirt.

Evans was arrested and in interview admitting pushing her partner and ripping his t-shirt.

She told officers the argument had started because she had just been diagnosed with cancer and they had both been unable to cope with the news.

At South Cumbria Magistrates' Court on Wednesday prosecutor Pam Ward said: "Police received a 999 call made by the defendant who then dropped the phone.

"Officers attended Portsmouth Street which had been identified by the phone number and police met Mr Jesson downstairs and saw his shirt was ripped.

"The defendant was upstairs in the bedroom crying.

"She said she had been drinking and had an argument with Mr Jesson. She said she had been diagnosed with cancer.

"The argument stemmed from them both not being able to cope with the diagnosis.

"Mr Jesson was unwilling to support the prosecution.

"However in interview the defendant admitting pushing Mr Jesson and ripped his t-shirt during the argument."

Defence solicitor Maureen Fawcett urged the magistrates to consider being lenient with Evans and asked them to deal with the offence by way of a financial penalty or a conditional discharge.

"Her partner said to police 'how can I do it (press charges) to a woman who's dying of cancer?'," Miss Fawcett said.

"She should have been starting chemotherapy today but there has been delay after delay with her treatment.

"She was diagnosed in April and since then everything has gone wrong.

"She is struggling.

"She hasn't been able to contact her partner since this incident because of bail conditions and he has been her only support through all this.

"They simply weren't coping with the diagnosis.

"She had just started a job but after she was diagnosed with cancer they have let her go and said it's because she's in her probationary period and they don't know how long she'll be off sick for."

Evans pleaded guilty to assault.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

A conditional discharge is one of the sentencing powers afforded to magistrates whereby the offender is released and the offence registered on their criminal record.

No further action is taken unless they commit a further offence within a time decided by the court which can be no longer than three years.